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‘Unlikely General’ Review: He Opened the Way West

‘Mad’ Anthony Wayne taught his men to steel themselves against surprise attack by makingthem ‘as afraid of him as they were of the Indians.’

By

Kathleen DuVal

May 15, 2018 6:30 p.m. ET

In 1777, things were not looking good for American independence. People were calling it the year of the hangman, for the number 7’s resemblance to the gallows from which they were sure Revolutionary leaders soon would swing. In the fall, the Continental Army abandoned Philadelphia. Encamped 20 miles north of the city, George Washington had his mood improved by the optimistic young Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne. According to Wayne, the skirmishes with the British had not been losses so much as valuable lessons. He told his commander that “total defeat” of the British was imminent.